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New far-right mayor moves to quash Paris region mosque

The recently elected far-right mayor of a Parisian suburb has not wasted any time in following through on one of his campaign promises: upend a project for a new mosque.

Mantes-la-Ville Mayor Cyril Nauth had promised to block the project, citing parking problems in the neighbourhood where the future mosque is supposed to stand, as well as potential financial liabilities for the local government.

The previous Socialist-led city council approved in October a measure to purchase a publicly owned building and then resell the property to the local Muslim organisation, who would be in charge of transforming it into a place of worship.

Nauth, a member of the far-right National Front (FN) party, expressed concern that the religious group might fail to disburse city hall the 650,000 euros needed for the purchase of the property…